AQD attends national, global meets

In joining national and international conferences, AQD expands its network of contacts for future collaborations as well as share the results of its research studies. AQD attended the following:

20th NACA Governing Council Meeting. AQD Chief Dr. JD Toledo attended the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) meeting last 13-15 May in Xiamen, China. The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of China. NACA’s work program for 2008 and planned activities were presented during the meeting.

2009 council meeting41st SEAFDEC Council Meeting. Over 70 participants representing the SEAFDEC Council from 11 member-countries, international organizations (FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific- FAO/RAP and the ASEAN Secretariat), SEAFDEC Departments and Secretariat gathered in Fukuoka, Japan for the 41st SEAFDEC Council Meeting. The event, held from 7-10 April 2009, was attended by AQD’s Dr. Joebert Toledo (Chief); Dr. Teruo Azuma (Deputy Chief) and Ms. Belen Acosta (Special Departmental Coordinator). The meeting – hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan – was convened to review the achievements made by SEAFDEC in 2008 and planned activities for 2009; discuss important fisheries related issues and the management of SEAFDEC as a fisheries organization in Asia; and provide the necessary policy directions. As part of the SEAFDEC Secretary General’s report to the Council on the achievements and plans of SEAFDEC Departments and the Secretariat, Dr. Toledo presented an overview of AQD’s R&D in 2008 and the focus of work in 2009.

Aqua VIV Asia 2009. AQD scientist Dr. Mae Catacutan was at the Aqua VIV Asia 2009 held 11-13 March at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibit Center in Thailand. She was there to obtain information on the latest issues on aquaculture feed & nutrition, practices in the aquafeed industry, and new products like additives, ingredients, growth enhancers. All these costly new additives led Dr. Catacutan to wonder if AQD can avoid their use in its aquafeed formulations. She noted that what is important is knowing their uses.

Regional workshop on climate change and food security: global challenges for improving the competitiveness of fisheries and fisheries based products in Asia. Dr. Maria Rowena Eguia and associate scientist Dr. Nerissa Salayo attended the workshop held last 19-20 March in Laguna, Philippines. The workshop was organized by WorldFish Centre (WFC) and SEARCA. The first day was spent discussing regional fisheries/aquaculture production as affected by climate change, and government fishery agency representatives from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam gave country papers. The second day was focused on the finalization of a draft proposal that WFC hopes to submit for funding.

Second RESCOPAR meeting. AQD scientist Ms. Eleonor Tendencia was one of the participants in the meeting. The event was held last February 25–26 in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The workshop gave Ms. Tendencia an opportunity to present progress and plans of her PhD thesis, which she is taking from the Wageningen University of The Netherlands.

New Picture1st Asia-Pacific Conference on Chemistry Education (APCCE), 24th Philippine Chemistry Congress. AQD scientist Perla Eusebio (standing, third from right) attended two chemistry-related events in Tagbilaran City, Bohol from April 14 to 16. The theme of the conference – Chemistry education: A way to safeguard man, society and environment – underscored the critical role of chemistry in the preservation of man, society and the environment. The conference was a perfect forum for the exchange of ideas between scientists, chemists, teachers and students for the development of chemistry education in the Asia Pacific region and also fostered the collaborative efforts for the promotion of the chemistry profession.

Image2046Fulbright Visiting Scholar Conference. AQD scientist Dr. Celia L. Pitogo attended the conference which was organized by the United States Department of State and the Council for International Exchange of Scholars in Washington D.C. last April 19–21. The conference was organized to provide the scholars with a valuable opportunity to enhance their understanding of the US and its citizens - including attitudes and experiences of US citizens toward issues of national and international importance. She then proceeded to the University of Rhode Island (URI) from April 21-25 to conduct lectures, seminars and meet with the URI faculty. Dr. Pitogo is on a five-month study leave as a Fulbright Senior Scholar to conduct research on Ensuring sustainability of the Philippine shrimp industry through efective health management of native and introduced shrimp, and is currently based at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, USA.

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